Putting streaks of color in your hair is a great way to add edge to your look without going completely pink, blue or purple. It's a two-step process: first you bleach the sections of hair you want to streak, then you dye them whatever color you want. Read on to learn how create permanent streaks.

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Steps

Part 1 of 3: Planning the Streaks and Buying Supplies

1

Take a look at your hair. Do you want to add one bold streak down the side, or balance the streaks over your entire head? Pull out sections of your hair and imagine how they'll look in a different color.[1]

Some people choose to have one pretty pink or purple streak running down the side. This adds a subtle beauty to your style.

For a punk look, add a lot of streaks extending from the crown of your head down to the tips. Choose blue, green, or platinum blonde.

If you're unsure what will look good in your hair, start small by streaking one piece of hair with your favorite color. If you love it, you can always add more.

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2

Get bleaching and streaking supplies. The supplies you get will be partially determined by the natural color of your hair. If you have light blonde hair and are planning to streak it with a darker color, you may be able to get away without bleaching it first. If you have dark or medium hair, you'll definitely need to bleach before streaking to make sure the color comes out looking bright and beautiful. Get these supplies:

Bleach powder, which comes in either packets or tubs. If you're doing just a few streaks, you won't need much.

Creme developer, which makes the bleach work. If your hair is already blonde or light brown, use a 20 or 30 volume developer. If your hair is dark brown or black, you may need 40 volume developer. Never get a volume higher than 40 or you'll damage your hair.

Red Gold Corrector is added to the bleach powder to increase its effectiveness, so you don't have to bleach twice. You definitely need this if your hair is on the darker side.

"Purple shampoo," which is a special shampoo designed to wash bleached hair.

A tint brush, a bowl, aluminum foil.

Hair dye in whatever color you want. Choose a fun color like magenta or teal or go for something tamer like red or orange. You could also get platinum blond or white for a striking effect.

You may also be able to find a streaking kit that meets your needs. Some of these come with both the bleach and the colorant you need to streak your hair.

Part 2 of 3: Bleaching Your Hair

1

Start with unprocessed hair. Bleaching and dying hair can really dry it out, so you'll want to give your hair a good head start. In the days leading up to streaking it, don't shampoo it or use hairspray and other hair products. Let your hair's natural oils protect it from the chemicals you'll be applying. When you're ready to streak it, start with hair that is completely dry.

2

Pull out the sections of hair you're streaking. You need to separate the hair that will be bleached and colored from the rest before you can get to work.[2] There are a few ways to do this:

Use a highlighting cap. Beauty supply stores sell caps used to highlight your hair. You place the cap on your head and use a hook to pull strands of hair through tiny holes. Use this if you want all-over streaks.

Use hair clips and aluminum foil. This technique is the better one to use if you want just a few large, bold streaks. Pull back the hair you don't intend to streak and clip it away from your head. Now take a long strip of aluminum foil and place it underneath the section of hair you want to streak. Pinch it around the roots to keep it in place.

Wear old clothes, drape a towel over your shoulders and sit in the bathroom or somewhere else where stray bits of bleach and dye won't damage the furniture.

3

Mix the bleach, developer and red gold corrector in a bowl. Read the instructions that came with the bleach powder and developer to figure out how much to mix together.

If you're only streaking a few sections of hair, you can half the recipe, since you won't need enough to bleach your entire head.

The finished mixture will look bluish white.

4

Apply the bleach. Use the tint brush to apply bleach from the tips to the roots of the sections of hair. Continue applying bleach until the hair is completely covered.

If you're using the highlighting cap method, cover your head with a large piece of plastic wrap while the bleach sets in.

If you're using the aluminum foil method, fold the foil over the section of hair to cover it and protect it from drying out.

5

Check your hair after fifteen minutes. Use a towel to wipe off a little bleach. If your hair is blond, the bleaching process is finished. If it still looks dark, apply more bleach to the area you wiped off, replace the plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and give it more time. Keep checking every 10 to 15 minutes until it is finished.

Don't leave the bleach in for more than 45 minutes, even if your hair still looks dark. Your hair can get damaged if you leave the bleach in longer. You may have to wait a day and bleach it again to achieve the desired effect (this is common for people with very dark brown or black hair).

6

Wash out the bleach. Carefully rinse the bleach from the strands of hair that you treated, keeping the rest of your hair separate so that it doesn't get bleach on it. Rinse until the water runs clear, then use the purple shampoo to wash it. Pat it dry with a towel, then let it completely air dry.

Part 3 of 3: Applying Color

1

Use a brush to apply the hair dye. Completely cover the strands of bleached hair with the dye from root to tip. Follow any specific application directions that came on the dye packaging.

If you're using the aluminum foil method for separating large pieces of hair, replace the aluminum foil you used to bleach your hair with a fresh piece for dying it.

2

Let the color set. Follow the instructions on the packaging of the dye. In most cases you'll need to let the dye work for about 30 minutes to make sure the color sets.

3

Rinse out the dye and shampoo your hair. Keeping the streaked section separate from the rest of your hair, rinse out the dye until the water runs clear. Follow the instructions on the dye packaging to make sure you do this correctly.

4

Maintain your streaks. Once your hair is dry, the streaks will be very noticeable. Keep them looking bright by using shampoo designed to keep dyed hair fresh. If you want to keep the streaks for a long time, you'll need to bleach and dye the roots from time to time as your hair grows out.

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Tips

Follow the directions in the bleach and dye boxes for best results. These instructions are meant to give you an idea of how to put the streaks in your hair at home. The directions on the boxes are geared to the specific strengths of the product itself.

Warnings

Do not apply the product too heavily. Follow the directions inside the box.

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